David Escamilla slides a pizza out of the wood-fired oven at Pizzeria Rosso.

Photograph by: Shaughn Butts
, Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - There is a bit of sturm und drang out there in bloglandia about the morphing of da Capo restaurant into Pizzeria Rosso at the south end of the High Level Bridge.

“All great change begins at the dinner table,” observed the sainted conservative icon/poet Ronald Reagan. And although the departed dino wasn’t talking about food, you reckon the same holds true in that sphere. Change is almost always a matter of some controversy, and isn’t necessarily (to quote another president) “something to believe in.”

The visual differences are striking enough, from the rough-hewn-chic exterior to the wall of fireplace logs stacked by the front door, to the ultra-cool grey, Ralph Lauren-red interior confines. Wooden table tops apparently cut from wine barrels; marble countertops re-purposed from the CN Tower; the floating glass wine rack a thing to behold in a marriage of euro-sleek with, er, faux rustic sleek. It works, although alas — a big topic among the gripers online — the old, awkward, U-shaped contraption that divides the smallish room has not been moved.

That also more or less hides the most important addition to the place, the handmade forno in the rear, the wood-fired oven that is the heart and soul of the place, and reason alone to visit. Especially, considering how well it is employed in the preparation of delicious, fresh, real-thing Napoli-style pizza — placing Rosso in the very top ether of the crowded local field.

Now there is full table service, also a plus, and if our efficient operative exhibited a bit of froideur to begin with, it soon melted away like the buffalo mozzarella on a margherita.

On a recent weekend market day, the table shared three lunch-sized $10 pies: the patata pancetta, funghi misti and salsiccia, each a loving circle of near-perfection.

By all means, argue or hand-wring over the toppings, but — with all due respect to the San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte mozzarella, tallegio, proper fennel-seeded sausage, etc. — it’s really about the crust. And to employ a favoured phrase popularized by a friend at the table, it’s kick-ass.

Indeed, if I can be allowed (another) conceit, I have the good fortune of returning to New York each July, where pizza emporiums of various stripes are duly sampled. And for all of them, including a recent stop at a new American outpost of Naples’ toney Fratelli la Buffala, Rosso’s crust held its own.

A lovely daily salad ($11) of kale, arugula, roasted grapes, goat cheese, pumpkin seed and fabulous lardon-style pancetta was happily shared, along with a bottle of Fabiano Pinot Grigio for well under $30. The daily blackboard soup of lentil and chorizo looked tempting, and I’m told the bruschetta here is exceptional.

One complaint — sorry, I forgot to taste it — came from a friend who ordered a tuna panino — since half the panini on the menu were unavailable. He found it dry and less than edifying, although it looked fine and was well-presented on a charcuterie board.

Lovers of da Capo’s excellent homemade gelati will continue to rave (the pistachio and hazelnut sing like Donizetti arias) and the coffee remains very good. Full marks across the board for stressing organic products, local-when-sensible and quality imports when necessary, as they very much are in some cases. Cheese and tinned tomatoes come to mind.

Satisfying though everything was, it seems fair to report that the period of change — there is a new partner/owner in the place hatched by Antonio Bilotta — continues apace. For example, the current website menu bears only passing resemblance to the bill of fare we were offered on a Saturday.

All that said, however Rosso may finally end up in the latest iteration, the signs are strong that it likely will remain a serious, righteous, lively, local standout.

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